• Applied Microscopy
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• v.50
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• pp.20.1-20.9
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• 2020

Arthropods have an open circulatory system with a simple tubular heart, so it has been estimated that the contractile pumping structure of the cardiac muscle will be less efficient than that of vertebrates. Nevertheless, certain arthropods are known to have far superior properties and characteristics than vertebrates, so we investigated the fine structural features of intercalated discs and cardiac junctions of cardiac muscle cells in the black widow spider Latrodectus mactans. Characteristically, the spider cardiac muscle has typical striated features and represents a functional syncytium that supports multiple connections to adjacent cells by intercalated discs. Histologically, the boundary lamina of each sarcolemma connects to the basement membrane to form an elastic sheath, and the extracellular matrix allows the cells to be anchored to other tissues. Since the intercalated disc is also part of sarcolemma, it contains gap junctions for depolarization and desmosomes that keep the fibers together during cardiac muscle contraction. Furthermore, fascia adherens and macula adherens (desmosomes) were also identified as cell junctions in both sarcolemma and intercalated discs. To enable the coordinated heartbeat of the cardiac muscle, the muscle fibers have neuronal innervations by multiple axons from the motor ganglion.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.219-229
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• 2012

In the course of feasibility study the necessity of implementing electrochemical methods as an inline metrology technique to characterize semiconductor nano structures for a Deep Trench Dynamic Random Access Memory (DT-DRAM) (e.g. ultra shallow junctions USJ) was discussed. Hereby, the state of the art semiconductor technology on the advantages and disadvantages of the most recently used analytical techniques for characterization of nano electronic devices are mentioned. Various electrochemical methods, their measure relationship and correlations to physical quantities are explained. The most important issue of this paper is to prove the novel usefulness of the electrochemical micro cell in the semiconductor industry.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.332.2-332.2
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• 2016

Two dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) semiconductors are attractive materials for optoelectric devices because of their direct energy bandgap and transparency. To investigate the feasibility of transparent p-n junctions, we have fabricated a p-n heterojunction consisting of p-type WSe2 and n-type MoS2 flakes since WSe2 and MoS2 with proper electrode metals exhibit p-type and n-type behaviors, respectively. These heterojunctions exhibits gate-tunable rectifying behaviors and photovoltaic effects (ECE ~ 0.2%) indicating that p-n junctions were formed. In addition, photocurrent and photovoltaic effects were observed under light illumination, which were dependent on the gate voltage. In addition, the photocurrent mapping images indicate that the photovoltaic effects comes from the junction area. Possible origins of gate-tunability are discussed.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.101-112
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• 2015

A type of cell junction that is formed between different parts within the same cell is called autotypic cell junction. Autotypic junction proteins form tight junctions found between membrane lamellae of a cell, especially in myelinating glial cells. Some of them have postsynaptic density-95/disks large/zonula occludens-1 (PDZ) domains, which interact with the carboxyl (C)-terminal PDZ-binding motif of other proteins. PDZ domains are protein-protein interaction modules that play a role in protein complex assembly. The PDZ domain, which is widespread in bacteria, plants, yeast, metazoans, and Drosophila, allows the assembly of large multi-protein complexes. The multi-protein complexes act in intracellular signal transduction, protein targeting, and membrane polarization. The identified PDZ domain-containing proteins located at autotypic junctions include zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), ZO-2, pals-1-associated tight junction protein (PATJ), multi-PDZ domain proteins (MUPPs), membrane-associated guanylate kinase inverted 2 (MAGI2), and protease-activated receptor (PAR)-3. PAR-3 interacts with atypical protein kinase C and PAR-6, forming a ternary complex, which plays an important role in the regulation of cell polarity. MAGI2 interacts with ${\alpha}$-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptor at excitatory synapses. PATJ is detected in paranodal loops associated with claudin-1. On the other hand, MUPP1 is found in mesaxons and Schmidt-Lanterman incisures with claudin-5. ZO-1, ZO-2, and PAR-3 are found at all three sites. Different distributions of PDZ domain-containing proteins affect the development of autotypic junctions. In this review, we will describe PDZ domain-containing proteins at autotypic tight junctions in myelinating Schwann cells and their roles.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.521-530
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• 2013

Direct cell-cell communication via the transfer of small molecules between neighboring cells in tissue is accomplished by gap junctions composed of various connexins (Cxs). Proper postnatal development of the epididymis is important for acquisition of male reproduction. The epididymal epithelium is composed of several cell types, and some of these cells are connected by gap junctions. The present study was conducted to determine the presence of Cx transcripts in the corpus and cauda epididymis. In addition, transcriptional changes of Cxs expressed during different postnatal stages were examined by real-time PCR analysis. In both epididymal regions, the same nine Cx transcripts of thirteen Cxs tested were detected. In the corpus epididymis, the highest levels of Cxs31.1 and 37 transcripts were observed at 45 days of age, and amounts of Cxs26, 30.3, and 32 transcripts increased with age and subsequently decreased in the elderly. Expression of Cx31 was greatly increased in the adult and elder stages, while Cxs40, 43, and 45 were abundant in the early postnatal stages. In the cauda epididymis, expression of Cxs26, 30.3, 31.1, 37, and 40 reached the highest levels at 5 months of age. The levels of Cxs31 and 32 mRNAs fluctuated throughout the postnatal period. The amounts of Cxs43 and 45 transcripts were more abundant during the late neonatal and prepubertal ages than later ages. These findings suggest that regional specification of the epididymis is partly regulated by differential expression of Cx genes during the postnatal developmental period.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.923-931
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• 2011

In the present study, we investigated the effect of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a natural compound present in vegetables, on the cell migration and invasion of OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells. Our results indicated that I3C inhibited the proliferation of OVCAR-3 cells, a process which was associated with inhibition of cell motility as determined by wound healing experiments and cell invasion studies. I3C treatment increased the tightness of the tight junctions (TJs), which was demonstrated by an increase in transepithelial electrical resistance and a decrease in paracellular permeability. The RT-PCR and immunoblotting results indicated that I3C repressed the levels of claudin-3 as well as claudin-4, proteins that comprise a major part of TJs and play a key role in the control and selectivity of paracellular transport. Furthermore, the activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were also decreased by treatment with I3C, which was connected with the down-regulation of their mRNAs and protein expression. The results suggest that I3C may be expected to inhibit cancer cell metastasis and invasion by restoring TJs and decreasing MMP activity in ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR-3.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.121-139
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• 2000

The morphogenesis of neuroblasts and plexiform layers, and establishment of its synapses were studied by electron microscopy in human embryos and fetuses ranging from 10 mm to 260 mm crown-rump length ($5\sim30$ weeks of gestational age). At 30 mm fetus the developing retina was composed of outer and inner neuroblastic layers . Cell division of outer neuroblast was occurred until 90 mm fetus. The transient layer of Chievitz was formed by 30 mm fetus, inner plexiform layer by 50 mm fetus, and outer plexiform layer by 150 mm fetus. The cytoplasm of differentiating ganglion cells contained ribosomes, rough endoplasmic reticula, Golgi complexes, microtubules and dense bodies. The processes of $M\ddot{u}ller$ cell penetrated between groups of ganglion cell axons, and formed the cellular component of the inner limiting membrane at 30 mm fetus. At 90 mm fetus radial fibers of M ller cells contained extensive smooth endoplasmic reticula and microtubules. In each specimen , apposing paired membrane specializations were classified as junctions without synaptic vesicles, conventional synapses and ribbon synapses. At 50 mm fetus the processes of neuroblasts in inner plexiform layer were interconnected by junctions without synaptic vesicles. Conventional synapses developed by addition of synaptic vesicles to initially vesicle-free junctions at 90 mm fetus. At 150 mm fetus ribbon synapses were first recognized by the inclusion of a prominent electron-dense material associated with synaptic vesicles. By 260 mm fetus conventional and ribbon synapses and junctions without synaptic vesicles formed similar to those found in the adult.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1446-1451
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• 2016

Clostridium difficile toxin A causes acute gut inflammation in animals and humans. It is known to downregulate the tight junctions between colonic epithelial cells, allowing luminal contents to access body tissues and trigger acute immune responses. However, it is not yet known whether this loss of the barrier function is a critical factor in the progression of toxin A-induced pseudomembranous colitis. We previously showed that NADH:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) KO (knockout) mice spontaneously display weak gut inflammation and a marked loss of colonic epithelial tight junctions. Moreover, NQO1 KO mice exhibited highly increased inflammatory responses compared with NQO1 WT (wild-type) control mice when subjected to DSS-induced experimental colitis. Here, we tested whether toxin A could also trigger more severe inflammatory responses in NQO1 KO mice compared with NQO1 WT mice. Indeed, our results show that C. difficile toxin A-mediated enteritis is significantly enhanced in NQO1 KO mice compared with NQO1 WT mice. The levels of fluid secretion, villus disruption, and epithelial cell apoptosis were also higher in toxin A-treated NQO1 KO mice compared with WT mice. The previous and present results collectively show that NQO1 is involved in the formation of tight junctions in the small intestine, and that defects in NQO1 enhance C. difficile toxin A-induced acute inflammatory responses, presumably via the loss of epithelial cell tight junctions.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.366-372
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• 2021

Cadherin-Catenin complex is thought to play an essential role in the transmission of force at adherens junction. Due to the lack of proper tools to visualize and detect mechanical force signals, the underlying mechanism by which the cadherin-catenin complex regulates force transmission at intercellular junctions remains elusive. In this study, we visualize cadherin-mediated force transmission using an engineered α-Catenin sensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Our results reveal that α-catenin is a key force transducer in cadherin-mediated mechanotransduction at cell-cell junctions. Thus, our finding will provide important insights for studying the effects of chemical and physical signals on cell-cell communication and the relationship between physiological and pathological phenomena.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.441-450
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• 2023

β-Catenin (Ctnnb1) has been shown to play critical roles in the development and maintenance of epithelial cells, including the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Ctnnb1 is not only a component of intercellular junctions in the epithelium, it also functions as a transcriptional regulator in the Wnt signaling pathway. To identify which of its functional modalities is critically involved in mouse RPE development and maintenance, we varied Ctnnb1 gene content and activity in mouse RPE lineage cells and tested their impacts on mouse eye development. We found that a Ctnnb1 double mutant (Ctnnb1^dm), which exhibits impaired transcriptional activity, could not replace Ctnnb1 in the RPE, whereas Ctnnb1^Y654E, which has reduced affinity for the junctions, could do so. Expression of the constitutively active Ctnnb1^∆ex3 mutant also suppressed the development of RPE, instead facilitating a ciliary cell fate. However, the post-mitotic or mature RPE was insensitive to the loss, inactivation, or constitutive activation of Ctnnb1. Collectively, our results suggest that Ctnnb1 should be maintained within an optimal range to specify RPE through transcriptional regulation of Wnt target genes in the optic neuroepithelium.